France: LGBT asylum seekers in France face difficulties

There has been an increase in the number of LGBT people applying for asylum in France over the past few years. Several French associations, founded to help LGBT people in France, have had to adapt their services to help this particularly vulnerable group, many of whom are victims of discrimination and physical violence.

The founders of Le Refuge never thought that they'd be helping so many migrants. When this organization began, it was meant to be a refuge for LGBT people in France who felt isolated and alone. But about four years ago, Le Refuge started getting pleas for help from LGBT refugees who had fled persecution in their home countries.

"In 2014, our association was confronted for the first time by the migrant crisis," says Frederic Gal, the director of Le Refuge. "Young foreigners were knocking at our door, looking for help. They said they were in grave danger because of their sexual orientation."

Most of the young people who came looking for help were from Africa, from countries like Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. However, there were also young people from Albania and Eastern Europe.

"They were coming, so we had to do something," said Gal. "The stories that these asylum seekers told were sometimes much more violent than those we were used to hearing. These people hadn't just been rejected by their families for their sexuality, many experienced violence through the legal system." Read more via InfoMigrants